Seminar in 20th-Century American Literature: American Fictions after Huck Finn

In this seminar we will read post-1945 American fiction through the lens of Mark Twain’s 1884 novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, considering questions of literary influence and of the persistence of the issues Twain was grappling with. Novels may include Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man; John Williams, Butcher’s Crossing; Toni Morrison, Beloved; Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon; Jane Smiley, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton; Robert Coover, Huck Out West; Paul Beatty, The Sellout; Tommy Orange, Wandering Stars; Percival Everett, James. Reading will also include secondary material.

Student work will include daily questions about the reading, presentations, book reviews, and conference-length papers.